my smelly SMELLY cat (???)

hi there gang... i'm new here and have just been paging through old posts to get some idea if this question has been tackled already. you seem like a pet-dedicated and smart bunch so i think i've come to the right place.

here's the deal. i'm a single mum and my darling daughter has wanted a cat for a LONG time. finally, we found one who was in need of a home, a beautiful tortise gal who was incredibly shy and had come from an apartment run by 7 (YES SEVEN!!) cats. we have worked our way into tilly's heart and gained her trust and she is delightful. she rules the roost.

now ever since we've had her, i've noticed that she seems rather gassy and stinky. farts every time you pet her, every time you walk past her. her poops are NOT diahrea but rather soft looking. just in the last little bit, i've noticed a smallish amount of red blood on the top of her poops.

i'm terrified to take her to the vet even though i know i just absolutely have to. she is the love of our lives. my last cat (8 yrs ago) suffered from an abrupt and nasty attack of feline crystalization, was rushed to the vet as soon as i noticed his eyes looked wrong even though he had no other symptoms of illness. he was there for over a week. he had multiple catheterizations and surgery. i went into debt and spent my rent money. i owed over $1400. after all of that, he died. he was only 9. needless to say, i bawled all the way home from the vet. 36 blocks on foot.

now i'm terrified because i've had this great cat for just over a month. i was told she was in excellent health. had recently been to the vet. now i don't have the luxury of foregoing rent... i have a child. i don't want my catty suffering either. she seems otherwise incredibly healthy. i guess the question would be to you all... do i need to sell one of my kidneys? is this as simple as a parasite or worm? what does the vet do if you just don't have the cash? no credit card?

thanks for listening... really, i want to weep.

[ j ]

Welcome to the board Squarejane

Go to the vet for sure, he will probably have to see the kitty to check the organs etc.....your kitty may seem fine but they hide pain well. Take a sample with you (in a steralized jar or baggie) to save you a trip. Tell him your concerns and explain your cash flow problem most will be nice about it and work something out with you.

Heres hoping it's nothing serious, and can be fixed with a little medication and lovin :love:

Please don't delay, blood in the stools is a sign of something gone wrong, but your quick actions could prevent the worst from happening therefore nipping it in the bud and avoiding those big bills that you are afraid of :thumbs up

Welcome to the board!:)

What do you feed this cat? Did she have this problem in her previous home? If not, what did she eat over there?
Do you give her any milk or other dairy products?

It could be worms. You might want to start by taking a stool sample for analysis.

thanks for the quick response guys. the gal who gave her to us said she was fine, but i noticed the really smelly and mushy poop right away... chalked it up to nerves. she eats science diet and occasionally wiskas with the little flavour bits... whatever that's called. no dairy, no people food. she doesn't seem to strain at all in the box.

cursed expensive city i live in. i know i just have to take her in. now how do i explain to a 6 yr old that her birthday party may have to be called off? :(

thanks for listening everyone.

Don't assume the worst. Many do and postpone taking their pets in to the vet. Most problems are easier and less expensive to treat if done right away. As Lucky Rescue and others advised, take a stool sample with you. The odds are this is something simple, but if not, you need to know what the actual facts are so you can begin to deal with them. Worrying and waiting will accomplish nothing. :)

And in my area, birthday parties for 6yo's are really overdone, ie rented jumphouses, clowns, etc. Keep it simple and it's less stressfull for the child and the other parents. Who started all this competition and horrible expense anyway? :confused:

what does the vet do if you just don't have the cash? no credit card?[ j ]
Talk to your vet. A lot of them offer payment plans. Hope your kitty is okay.

I would start by giving her better dry food. Science Diet may be causing the gas and runny poops.

I am with Lucky it could be something like worms and I would also switch the food. I hope everything goes well I am sure if you explain to your vet he will work with you. Most are pretty good. Be positive it could be something very minor, but go to the vets

thanks once again everyone. i went to a specialty store today and chatted with the guy there to get a recommendation for a good vet. he also recd. a different food (iams active adult weight control hairball care -- oye!) :) and some grass. i work tomorrow but will be taking her to the vet on sunday -- or in the case that they aren't open then, monday.

i hear you on the birthday party thing glasslass but this is no competition, just a regular kids party. being a working single mum, even an extra $100 from our budget is enough to make me ask questions like "milk or toilet paper??" ah, it's fall... there's lots of leaves around. :o

you guys have been very helpful. thanks so much.

I am sure you don't want to hear this but Iams is no good either. There's a few threads around here about good brand foods and the affects it has on their pets.
I know it is hard to make ends meet, but in the long run you will definitely save with buying a more expensive, better quality food now.
Besides being poor quality, Iams does testing ON animals! Something to think about.

eegads! i had no idea. that is truly horrible. and this food wasn't cheap at all either. at 22$ a bag, and with the recommendation i was sure i was doing the right thing. i guess i should read through some posts here on good foods... anyone make their own pet meals? i made my own baby food because i didn't like what they put in the store-bought ones.

thanks once again and i'll keep you posted.

Geez, for $22 a bag, you can get a really great food for your cat. People at pet stores will recommend any kind of food they sell, no matter what it is.
Good luck to ya! :D

yeh, and it's not one of those mega stores either. they are known as the progressive animal-friendly store around here... even publish a newsletter for people with pets looking for petfriendly accommodations.

well, the good news is, the stools look normal! first time since she's been living with us. for the past 24 hrs her poop just look like (and smell like) cat poop. still keeping a really close watch on her and will be nipping off to the vet at the first sign of anything untowards.

i'm so happy! she also seems much more lovey and cuddly. thanks everyone!

Great news! I hope it stays that way. Have any pics of her?? :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/squarejane/tilly1.jpg

ain't she adorable?!?

she smells better too!! woo hoo phew! :p

Yes!!! She is. I love that coloring... I've seen a few here like that and I love them!
Have any more pics?! :p
Glad she's smellin better too. :thumbs up

There's a few threads around here about good brand foods and the affects it has on their pets.


I searched for some threads on cat food but couldn't find any....can you direct me?

more canned (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=8016&highlight=cat+food)

moist cat food discussion (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=7954&highlight=cat+food)

moist vs dry food (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=7398&highlight=cat+food)

that's a start. you can use the search button and enter "cat" and "food"

Squarejane.....so adorable love the colours, :) similar to my Lucky, She looks older! Do you know how old she is?

thanks darlin, i think she's pretty adorable. lets see a pic of yours? i know she's roughly around 2 yrs old. i just love the tortiseshells!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/squarejane/caidentilly.jpg